Mini Things Among the Green

Whether the idea had been influenced by an Alice in Wonderland-like dream or not, I woke up one morning earlier this week and immediately decided that I had to make a mini wardrobe. Of course, I couldn't let it stay empty, so it's filled--although sparsely--with mini outerwear and coat hangers.

And then I thought, why not also make a chair to go with it, too? Whatever elfen-like creature that scrounges through the closet will have to have something to toss her clothes upon.



I was going to make a bed, a bedside table, and a lamp to go along with it, too, but I then remembered the stack of traced and cut patterns that I have ready to go...

Second Kasia Skirt

I completed my second version of Burdastyle's Kasia Skirt today! At this rate, I might have a whole separate closet full of Kasia skirts in various lengths,buttons, trims, etc. Even though this is only the second time that I've made the skirt, I'm quickly realizing how versatile it is.



This time I used cotton ikat, a gift from my grandmother, and wonderful clock buttons from JoAnn's. I had actually eyed the clock buttons multiple times before on my trips to that store, but I never knew what to do with them. They seemed perfect for this project. The cotton ikat has a slight sophisticated, older feel to it; and I figured that if I paired it with the buttons, it would achieve my desired look of making it something along the lines of modern sophistication.



I think this version fits better. I made it one size larger, but I also had to increase the seam allowance to 1 inch. It's not as high-waisted as my other Kasia skirt, but I can sit more comfortably and stick my hands in the pockets.

My Kasia Skirt

I have my own Kasia skirt! Many thanks to Burdastyle for this wonderful--and more importantly, FREE--skirt pattern. Most of the patterns from that site have some quirky detail to them that interestingly sets them apart from Butterick, McCall, and Simplicity. I've constructed a list of bookmarks of patterns from that site and hope to make all of them one day, some day, eventually...

Because it's a free download, I had to construct the pattern. Although it sounds like a hefty amount of prep work, it didn't really take that much effort to print out the pattern, match up the marking on the individual pages to create the cohesive pattern, tape the papers in place, and then trace my size. I've never made anything from Burda or Burda-related before (I'm assuming that BurdaStyle is affiliated with Burda?), so I was apprehensive about just choosing a size and then running with it with my fashion fabric. Therefore, I sat for about five hours or so and made a muslin, which turned out well except for these hideous bunched gathers for the hip panels. I have no evidence of those gathers on my final skirt! (Come to think of it, I really show have taken a photo of me wearing the muslin.)

Well, um, the final skirt somehow ended up being tighter than the muslin. Consequently, I'll have to decline invitations to situations which require excessive sitting, eating, or climbing if I'm wearing this skirt. Not that I would go climbing or hiking in a skirt, but an unplanned flight of stairs might have to be taken slower than normal.


Overally, though, I'm happy with the print, the style, and especially that I got to use buttons! Not only are they clear (and unfortunately lose their details against the busy print in photographs), but they encase thin strands of dried blades of grass! Pretty cool.

Hoot, Hoot

I had to put all of my sewing projects on hold because my sewing machine broke. :( I'm in the process of finding a nicer one to replace it.


Luckily, I did get to do a bit of hand sewing last night. I wanted to make something for my mom for her birthday and remembered a cute owl pillow that I had seen at a local fabric store. I drafted a simple pattern on pieces of tracing paper and dug around in my trash bag containing little scraps of odds and ends. It took about three hours from start to finish, and it turned out to be really cute.


MUGSHOT OF OWL
As you can see, the little yellow heads sticking out of its stomach section signify that my mom intends to use it as a pin cushion. It's not a voodoo doll.